Cooling bed



Feb. 26 19240 1,41%41-485fi4 w. B. NELSON COOLING BED Filed March 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l d lye/2707 Wigs.

Feb. 26 1924.) 1,484,664

W. B. NELSON COOLING BED Filed March 25, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2W2??? W M Ki Patented Feh. 26, I924.

U N I T D S T res WILLIAM BERGER NELSON. OI? CHICAGQIILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERSTATE IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

COOLING BED.

fipplication-flledmarch 25, 1922. Serial No. 546,57

m My invention relates to cooling beds used in handling hot metal bars as they are" delivered from the reducing-rolls of a rolling-mill, and consists in the novel and useful constructions herein described and then 15 pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention and in which the same reference numerals indicate similar parts in the different views, Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a longitudinal portion of a cooling bed of well-known construction and operation equipped with my invention,

as they pass from the inclined gravity section of the bed to the initial pocket of the to horizontal section, and of a, t' pe that is particularly adapted for use w en the bed is handling flat stock in packs to emit the annealing on the bed of materia of small cross-section, such as fiat spring stock, which were annealed later.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which show my invention the reference let 4e ter A designates a long trough or run-out 1 table provided with a series of. feed-rolls a which project throu h openings into the trough and convey t e. metal bar as it is delivered from the reducingrolls. In prac the the trough is usually long enough to accommodate a 300 foot bar, .and the cooling bed, of which only a section is shown, is correspondingly extended.

The skid-section B ofthe bed includesa. series of rigid inclined skid-beams B'upon the trough to the"bed,"and the other arms are arranged instaggered relation on 0pthe skid-beams as shown in Fig. 1.

which the bars a are delivered from the trough. Between the beams B are journ'aled in the bed a series ofrocking-shafts C. parallel with thebeams and having arms C, C and C extending therefrom; the arms C on the ends of the shafts are arranged to pass through open-end slots a in the trough A so thatupon oscillation of the shafts-they will transfer the bar out of posite sides of'each' shaft and extend radially to project alternately into vertical position to form escapement stops or dogs above the skids as the shafts are oscillated, the corresponding dogs of the shafts being arranged in a straight row extending longitudinally of the bed so that the hot metal bars a: will be preserved in straight lines. Suitable mechanism which is well-known and forms no part of my present invention, and so need not be here shown and described, actuates the rocking-shafts so that they are simultaneously rocked back and forth to allow the bars lying on the skids to move by gravity successively down them from one row of dogs to the next lower row until they pass one by one from the last row u y nthe inclined guides B at the lower end oi the skid section B by which they are 05 delivered to the front or leading pocket of the horizontal section of the cooling bed. The rack-section of the cooling bed is composed of a series of parallel horizontal racks D arranged respectively in line with Each rack unit is composed of a b'ase d and marginal vertical webs (2' provided with a series of troughs or pockets D which are V- would otherwise cool too fast on the bed to pass the required specifications unless itthe next one and discharge them u on the assembly-table (not shown), and w en the bars are to be arranged in packs m the inclined guides B will be formed as jointed arms-and the lower arms will be actuated 105 .from' below to oscillate to difierent positions in relation'to the leading faces of the initial pockets as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as now well-understood to form packingmechanism to deliver the bars from the ski 1w section of the 'bed to the first row of POCk'.

' invention and so need have vertical ribs 6, and d respectively ar-- ranged lengthwise in staggered relation.

' A series of stock guides are disposed. along the length of the rack-section, being spaced-apartat suitable distances accordin to'the length of the barsto be handle and each guide being associated with one of the racks -D.' Each guide consists of asubstantially C-shaped curved .arm E.

formed of a flat strip of spring-metal, abont two (2) inches wide, and attached at its lower end-tothe frame d of-therack-section of the bed below one of the racks. The

- base it of the corresponding rack is provided with janjflelongated slot d ff-extending contacting longitudinally thereof between itswebs, and

through-which the upper end of the associated guide 'extends; The upper end of .each guide: 'projects"abovek the base to ap.

proximately 'theup-p'er edges ofthe' webs, and is; inwardly curved and extended in a line tangential to the plane of 'the inner or leadingface of thefirst pocket of the as sociated'j rack'; the ende of the guide is substantially in this plane and'its ti e is curved upwardly and outwardly to orm a flared month between the guide and the leading face of the initial pocket as shown in Fig. 2 when the bars 'arehandle'dsingly, and also between the guide and the top bar ofa pack as shown in Fig. 3 when the bars are being accumulated in packs. By this construction the guides aremounted and located below the racks,'where they are out of the way, and their free ends extend through the racks to guide the bars While with eachbar only at their leadints.

hen the bars move from the inclined section of the bed to the horizontal section they pass under the guides E which hold them from turning and ensure their uniform emplacement in the initial pocket of the racks. This feature is advantageous when the bars are, handled singly as the guides prevent them from unevenly passing down the inner or leading faces of the first pockets at different points in their length and so hold them against any twisting or deform ing action that would then occur, especially in bars of considerable length. It is especiallv advantageous when the cooling bed is handling flat stock in packs as it prevents the flat bars from turning and ensures their being seated with uniform motion so that all are properly positioned and alined in the pack; as shown at w in Fig. 3 all the bars are guided edgewise into the pack. When handling fiat stock or bars, such for example as spring steel or other material of small cross-section, it is desirable to cool them in packs as this permits the annealing of the material while it is in the bed, and for successfully annealing the. p'ack in the bed it is-desirable to minimize the area of the contact of the bars with colder metal therein and so prevent the latter from drawing the heat from these portions of the bars faster th'an the heat from the other portions of the pack. can evenly anneal them. As the guides 'E are locatedbetween the webs of the-racks these parts are out ofiline in the direction 'ofthe travel of the bars 'so that any portions of thebars that may be' chilled by them are. out-of line and willjbe reheated to the temperature of the other parts of the pack by the exchange of heatby conduction from the large non-chilled portions to the small chilled portion. a As the guides seat the bars edgewis'e. they are useful in packing or accumulating them in the first notch of the horizontal portion of the in anarrangement that securesuniformity in packing, and permits theannealing, of the material in the bed, and the tangential construction of the end of the ide so that it touches each bar only at its eading point and in a restricted arealimited to a transverse line. or edge e of the guide renders the chilling action of the guide itself negligible.

their upper ends moving freely in their slots and their lips being moved into position slightly below the upper edges of the webs s0 that the material clears them in passing to the second pocket, the curvature of the lips allowing the guides to easily When the machine is handling either single bars or packs the transfer mechanism ios wipe acrom a single bar ora top bar of a pack, as the case may be, without turning or disturbing its position. When the material clears the guides they spring back into their normal position. i

I claim:

1. In a cooling bed. an inclined skid-section, a horizontal rack-section having a series of pockets arranged in horizontal rows along its length, and a guide mounted below the initial pocket of each of a plurality of the racks and constructed to restrain the stock from turning as it passes from the skid-section to the rack-section.

2. Ina coolin'g 'bed, an inclined skid, a horizontal rack having a base provided with an elongated slot, vertical webs on the base at the sides ofthe slot, and a movable guide secured at one end below the rack having its free end passing upwardly through the slot and'terminating between the Webs at the plane of the leading face of the initial pocket of the rack. v

3. In a cooling bed, an inclined skid, a horizontal rack having a base provided with 'anelongated slot, vertical webs onthe base at the sides of the slot and having a se ries of pockets, and a guide consisting of a flexible metal strip secured at one end below the rack and passing through the slot in its base and terminating below the tops of the webs, the free end of the guide extending tangentially toward the leadin face of the initial pocket of the rack an having its tip curved awa from said face.

In testimony whereof affix my signature.

WILLIAM BERGER NELSON. 

